Carbid-feeding device.



No. 871,570. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. A. DAVIS.

GARBID FEEDING DEVICE.

API LIOATION FILED JUNE-4. 190s.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTINE DAVIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS AOETYLENECOMPANY,

'- OF ELKHART, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

CARBID-FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19,1907.

Application filed June 4. 1906- Serial No. 320.058.

Toallwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTINE DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbid-Feeding Devices,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for 'feedin carbid in acetylenegenerators, and has re erence more particularly to a novel device in thenature of a guard or shield for preventing accidental discharge and'flowof the carbid through the feeding device when the latter is idle.

The device of the present invention is designed more particularly forcooperation with a carbid feed of the type shown in Let ters Patent toAugustine Davis and Paris L.

' Davis, No. 705,739, granted July 29, 1902,

(Figures 1, 2 and 5) and to Augustine Davis, No. 719,091, grantedJanuary 27, 1903 (Fig; 3). I The invention Will be readily understoodwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrating the same, wherein,-

Fig. 1 Iis an elevational view, partly in 7 vertical section, of acarbid-feeding device,

showing my improvements applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectional view on the-line 22 of Fig. 1.

' Referring to the drawings, and first briefly describing the main partsof the carbidhopper and feed mechanism, for a fuller descriptionof whichreference may be had to the Letters Patent above referred to, 5designates the carbid hopper having a downwardly convergent or flaringbottom wall 6 terminating in a central discharge throat 7. Mountedcentrally and co-axially within the hopper 5 is a vertical shaft 8,which has its bearings in one or more transverse supporting pieces 9 andis provided at its upper end with a coupling member 10, by means ofwhich it may be connected with the driving shaft 11 of a suitable motor,conventionally illustrated at 12. The shaft 8 extends down through thedischarge mouth 7 of the hopper and is provided at a distance below thesame suitable for the feed of the carbid with a horizontal feed-plate 13of round or disk-like The location of this feed-plate is such that asthe carbid passes out of the dischar e mouth of the hopper it falls uponsaid feecbplate', and

When said feed-plate is rotated it carries around with it the carbidlying upon it, with a circular motion in a plane at right angles to thedirection of feed, which is vertical. This movement results in acentrifugal action, which tends to cause the carbid lying on thefeed-plate to move out toward the edge of the same, it being eventuallydischarged over the edge of said plate. In conjunction with the rotatingfeed-plate there is employed one or more non-rotating sweeps or scraperblades 14, arranged obliquely with reference to the radius of the disk13, and consequently at an angle to the path of motion of the surface ofthe disk. These sweeps are located immediately above the upper surfaceof the feed-plate and approximately at a right angle to the planethereof. These sweeps .are carried by a ring or annulus 15 suspended bychains or other flexible connections 16 from the bottom of thecarbidhopper in such a manner that the sweeps are not rigidly'held, butare free to yield to a limited extent, and thus prevent clogging andexcessive resistance to the action of the motor. The ring and sweeps areconveniently made in one piece by cutting out the sweeps along theirfront and top edges and bending their free ends inward toward the shaft8, the cut-out portions thus forming openings for the discharge of thecarbid from the feed-plate.

31 designates a guide-ring located inside the ring 15 and sweeps 14 andsurrounding the discharge mouth of the hop or; said ring being looselysuspended by ciains 32 and terminating some distance above thefeed-plate 13, and having for its function to regulate the feed of thecarbid to the feedplate in proper quantities, said ring also aiding inell'ecting a substantially uniform distribution of the carbid from thedischarge mouth onto the feed-plate.

Referring now more particularly to the immediate subject-matter of thepresent invention, 17 designates a collar or sleeve of suitable diameter'to loosely fit wlthin the annulus 15 and its sweeps or blades 14, andsurrounding the guard-ring 31, as shown. To this collar is secured anactuating rod 18 which extends upwardly through a tubular guide 19formed in the carbid hopper, and is connected at its upper end to oneend of a lever 20 pivoted at 21 on a lug or bracket 22 resting on thecross-piece 9, the other end of said lever being pivotally connected at23 to the lower end of a rod or stem 24 that extends upwardly through apacked oint 25 in the topfo1flcover126 of the hopper. Pivoted at 27 inthe upper end of a bracket or post 28 on the cover 26 is an operatinglever 29 that rests on the upper end of the rod 24, the free end of saidlever being adapted, when depressed, to engage beneath a hook 30 alsomounted. on the cover 26.

From the fore oing it will be seen that when the carbid ieed device isto be started in action, by depressing the lever 29 and engaging thefree end of the same with the hook 30, the collar or sleeve 17 is'raisedabove and out of the way of the annular discharge throat of thecarbid-feed mechanism, thus permit ting the normal operation of thelatter in the manner fully set forth in the Letters Patent abovereferred to. On the other hand, when the motor, and consequently thecarbid-feed mechanism, is stopped, either automatically or manually, thelever 29 is released from the hook 30, and the weight of the collarcauses it to drop into substantial engagement with the feed -disk 13, asshown by full lines in Fig. 1, the collar in such position forming ineffect a closure or shield to prevent accidental dropping or flow of thecarbid by-gravity over the edge of the feed-disk.

The device of the present invention is particularly useful as applied tomachines designed to be employed on railway wrecking cars, wherein thegenerator is not in operation when the car is moving from one point toanother, but is used when the wrecking machinery is in operation. Anadditional and useful function served by the shield is to guard thecarbid from dampness and to prevent hydration. I

It will be evident that changes and modifications in the specificdetails of the device shown and described might be made by those skilledin the art without departing from the principle or sacrificing theadvantages of the invention; and hence the latter is not limited to theparticular form shown and described, except to the extent indicated inspecific claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a carbid feed hopper having a discharge throatand a rotary feed disk mounted horizontally below the lower end of saidthroat, of a sleeve loosely surrounding said throat, means mounted onand externally of said hopper for moving said sleeve into eitheroperative or inoperative position when the hopper is closed, andconnections between said actuating means and said sleeve.

2. The combination with a carbid-feed hopper having a discharge throatand a rotary feed-disk mounted horizontally below the lower end of saidthroat, of a sleeve loosely surrounding said throat, an actuating levermounted on and externally or the carbid-hopper, and connections betweensaid lever and said sleeve whereby the latter may be raised above theannular space between the lower end of said discharge-throat andfeed-disk.

3. The combination with a carbid-feed hopper having a discharge-throatand a rotary feed-disk mounted horizontally below the lower end of saidthroat, of a sleeve loosely surrounding said throat, an actuating levermounted on and externally of the car bidhopper, and lever and linkconnections between said lever and said sleeve whereby, upon depressingsaid actuating lever, said sleeve may be raised above the annular spacebetween the lower end of said dischargethroat and feed-disk.

AUGUSTINE DAVIS.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, S. F. MOCREA.

